Our Beginning
by shai-duck
Summary: We know about Jasper's feelings for Kairen.. but where did it all start? How did they meet? What made Kairen different? Oneshot.


**To all the readers of The Passing of Time:**

**Yeah, I haven't posted Chapter 5 of The Passing of Time yet. I'm sorry. Honestly, I do have part of it typed. I'm still working on editing and stuff because the first draft I made months ago just sucks. So I'm sorry.**

**Here's a little one-shot about some of the characters while you guys are waiting. Hope you like it!**

_Dedicated to: all my friends who have been with the story since the beginning of time (toink!) or the very first chapter I wrote in Book—whichever you prefer—and also to those who read Book… _

"Mama, when do you think Papa will be here?" a young girl asked curiously. She shifted restlessly on a high-backed chair, swinging her legs back and forth. Her pale green skirts swished as she kicked them, the light reflecting off the shimmering satin.

Kairen Stang was the only daughter of Lord Lionel and Lady Juliana. She was outspoken, a result of growing up with older brothers. Her chocolate brown waves were cut short and only barely brushed her shoulders while her hazel eyes held a touch of mischief.

Her mother sat primly across her, her legs folded beneath her yellow dress. The Lady Juliana was a beautiful woman. Looking at her, it was clear where the full force of Kairen's looks came from. Her brown hair was to her waist and her hazel eyes sparkled with wisdom and maturity.

"Kairen, please stop moving. You will ruin your dress. Your father will be here in a few minutes and then he will take us to the palace," she replied, sparing a fond smile for her daughter.

Kairen paid no heed to her mother's admonishment, continuing to swing her legs. "Why are we going to the palace?"

"The Queen of Saldaea and her cousin, the Lady Faile, are visiting Kandor. As the Swordbearer to the Queen, your father is obligated to attend the welcoming banquet and Queen Ethenielle requested that his family attend."

"So where are Jameson and the others?" Kairen looked around for her older brothers. "They aren't here."

"Kairen…" Juliana sighed. "Your brothers are busy training for the Borderlands archery contest. Only you and I will be attending this afternoon."

"No fair! Why do I have to wear a dress and go while they train for the contest?" she mumbled.

She didn't exactly hate dresses. On the contrary, they were pretty and she loved wearing them when the occasion called for it but if there was one thing Kairen liked better than dressing up, it was watching her older brothers train with the bow and arrow. She wanted to learn but her father said that she was too young. She could understand that. After all, she was only seven years old. Still, she would hold her father to his promise of teaching her when she turned nine.

"Juliana, are you ready?" her father's voice called from the hall. He pushed open the door to the sitting room and smiled at them. "Well, don't you look pretty, Kairen?" He smiled at his daughter, his blue eyes crinkling with the gesture.

Kairen beamed, hopping down from the chair and nearly tripping over her skirts. "Thank you, Papa." She hurried to her father's side, looking expectantly at her mother.

Juliana was more graceful in standing up and she approached her husband. "Let's go then," she told him, taking Kairen's hand. "We shouldn't keep the Queen waiting."

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Fidgeting in his chair, Jasper tried to sit straighter. If it weren't for his duties as the heir to the throne, he wouldn't even be here. That, and he was afraid of his mother when she got angry.

With reddish-brown hair and clear green eyes, Jasper Materasu could make any girl stop and give him a second look, whether she was his age or older. Many people could only imagine what he looked like when he grew older. Raised in the palace, he had been taught the morals and ethics of being royalty since he could read. He was only eight, but he already understood the importance of his role as the heir.

His gaze traveled over the room and immediately snapped back to the doorway, where the Lord Lionel and his wife were entering. Lady Juliana was leading a girl by the hand. She had the same features with the older woman and looked to be about his age.

Opening his mouth to ask about the girl—he had never seen her before and didn't Lord Lionel only have sons?—Jasper found his mother standing up to welcome the 'guests' for the afternoon. Sighing, he decided to ask her later.

Jasper turned his attention to the Queen of Saldaea and her cousin. Queen Tenobia had raven hair that had faint tinges of gray in it and her eyes were tilted like most Saldaeans' eyes were. She looked to be in her early thirties but her age didn't diminish the confident aura she had. The Lady Faile looked younger, maybe in her late twenties, with dark hair and slightly tilted brown eyes. He had been introduced to them before and so they were somewhat familiar to him already.

Moving on to the two children they had brought, Jasper eyed the young girl and boy. They _looked_ like they were his age. The girl, he learned, was Chalinda, the six-year old daughter of Queen Tenobia. With straight jet black hair to her mid-back and tilted green eyes, he couldn't deny the fact that she was pretty. The other one was Seth, a seven-year old boy who was the son of Lady Faile. He had black hair and slightly tilted blue eyes. From what Jasper observed throughout the banquet, he seemed quiet and didn't speak except when spoken to. Quite the opposite from Chalinda, who chatted with everyone she met. At one point, she caught Jasper's eyes and shot him a wide smile. Needless to say, it made him shift uncomfortably and reminded him of the smiles that some of the bolder girls flashed at him.

"Mother," Jasper said once the meal was done and the adults were mingling.

Ethenielle glanced at him, her blue eyes questioning. "What is it, Jasper?"

"May I be excused? The meal is done, after all," he added, his green eyes hopeful. From the corner of his eye, he saw Chalinda making her way to them. "Please?"

Her lips quirking into a knowing smile, Ethenielle nodded. "You may go," She turned her attention back to the Lady Juliana, continuing their talk about some political issue that he didn't care much for.

Happily, Jasper hopped down from his chair and hurried out the door, avoiding most of crowd. Once he reached the main hallway, he breathed a sigh of relief and made his way to the garden. Walking down the path, Jasper swerved off to the right of the rosebushes and went to the more secluded part of the area. He always came here at this time of the day to practice or to just relax and get away from the stuffy nobles—most of them young girls—that always came to talk to him.

He stopped at his favorite resting spot, his green eyes widening when he saw someone else already sitting there. It was the unfamiliar girl from earlier he had seen with the Lady Juliana. She looked at him, standing up.

"Who are you?" she asked him, her tone clearly saying 'don't cross me and get lost.'

Jasper goggled at her tone. Clearly, she didn't know who he was either because none of the girls who had met him ever used that tone with him. They either simpered or were sickly sweet. They also smiled widely. This girl seemed different.

"Well, who are you?" he asked her in reply. "This is my spot."

"I was here first," the girl insisted. "So there. What's your name anyway?" She eyed him suspiciously.

Drawing himself up, Jasper prepared himself for the girl's reaction. All of them did the same thing anyway. They would either gasp, curtsy, smile or do all three. "My name is Jasper Materasu, son of Queen Ethenielle Kirukon Materasu, Queen of Kandor."

To his utmost surprise, the girl just shrugged and extended her hand. "Kairen Stang, daughter of Lord Lionel Stang, Swordbearer to the Queen of Kandor," she told him. "Pleased to meet you."

Jasper just stared at her, shocked. He was aware that he was supposed to shake her hand, but he couldn't really seem to care at the moment.

After a moment, Kairen put her hand down. "You know, Papa says it's common cour…cour…um… cour-te-sy to shake people's hands when you meet them. I thought the heir to the throne would know that."

He frowned, insulted. How dare she imply that he didn't know how to show common courtesy to a lady! That was—Amusement was evident in her almond-shaped eyes as she watched him. He gaped. She was…_teasing_ him?

"Close your mouth. You look like a fish," she said, grinning. He flushed, obeying her. She sat back down. "Well, we can share the spot if you want to."

"Um…" Jasper flailed around for a statement that wouldn't sound retarded.

Kairen spoke again. "If you're expecting me to smile and curtsy to you then say you can have this place, forget it." She stuck her tongue out at him, although it was playful.

That action finally restored his coherency. "Thanks," he told her, sitting down beside her. "So what are you doing here?"

"I always watch the sunset when we're at home. Since I'm stuck here, I might as well enjoy the pretty view," She turned to him. "What about you? Running away from Lady Chalinda?"

The red in his cheeks came back with a vengeance and he turned his head away. "No."

Kairen laughed, her laugh sounding like chimes. "Don't worry, Jasper. I won't tell her."

Her casual use of his name confused him and he met her hazel eyes, puzzled. "Why are calling me by my name? Mother says that no one lower than me can call me by my first name," he informed her.

"I won't call you 'My Lord' or 'Your Highness' if that's what you mean," Kairen told him bluntly. "Friends don't call each other funny names."

Friends? He liked the sound of that. Pleased, Jasper grinned at her, his green eyes sparkling. "Okay. Since we're friends, you can call me Jasper and in return, I won't call you 'My Lady' or anything else."

"Sure," Kairen agreed happily. "Now keep quiet. I want to listen to the birds singing." She flashed him a warm smile.

'_Kairen really is different from other girls. She doesn't smile weirdly or simper or whine at me_,' he thought, smiling to himself. '_I like her._'

Someday, he would ask her why she didn't act like other girls who met him, but for now, he was happy with the fact that someone actually treated him normally. He didn't know it yet but that day would be the start of a wonderful friendship, which would someday have the capacity to become something more.

"Hey, Kairen. Do you like archery?"

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End file.
